In Italia
by HaruhiTsukichi
Summary: Their grandfather left them at an early age, of that he was certain. But, now...now that they were all they had in the world, what would happen to them? "I've gotten along for this long...I'm not going to give up now!" It's a story I've wanted to write for a while with an ending I have no clue to. AU, the time Italy and Romano had to face the world with all they had. Rate changes.


It was raining. Heavily. And yet, the sun was shining brightly over the horizon. Romano looked up at the sky from his hiding spot. It was littered with heavy storm clouds, and yet the sun continued to shine down on the rustic little village like an omen. A good omen.

_What crap._

While it was comforting to see the sunlight illuminate the terra cotta and crème-colored buildings, it didn't change the fact that Romano's life was a mess. Always was. Always would be. There were times, when he was younger, where he would dream about how life would be like without his _affliction_. Yes, that was the right word for it. He would wonder what it was like to grow up as a normal little boy. Playing in the streets while his grandfather prepared dinner. Wiping clean Feliciano's face of his favorite gelato. Maybe even taking a gondola ride in Venice with a pretty girl.

They were nice things to think about, anyway. Especially on days like today, when the rain never seemed to end.

Romano huddled into himself, pressing his back further into the abandoned wooden crate. Abandoned, like him. What a depressing thought. At least it provided _some_ shelter from the shitty weather. It was almost comforting, being curled up in the small space.

Where was he, anyway? Definitely not home, that was for sure. How long had he been running?

_Since Grandpapa died._ Yes, that was right. Right up until the funeral service, he had been safe. He and Feli. And, then…

He couldn't bear to think about it. Not now, anyway. Not when he was so comfortable and warm. It had been a long time since he was this warm. Warm enough to sleep.

_I'm so cool,_ he thought, slowly nodding off. _Feli and I ran so fast this time. Those stupid bastards should know not to chase after a fleeing Italian!_

He'd have to remember to pick up Feliciano. They were to meet at the village square after the rain stopped. _Or if the sun stopped shining._ Whichever came first. At this point, it seemed like the latter would prevail.

He was so tired. Running at sixty miles a day did that to a person. But, he couldn't fall asleep; Feli was depending on him to meet him. He had to be tough for his fratellino, even if they both knew the boy could take care of himself.

_Well, maybe just a little nap, then._

Romano drifted off to sleep quickly. It had been forever since he had had a full night's rest and so, this was the only way he ever got any sleep now that they were on the run. Catch a few minutes there, snooze an hour or two here. It was better than just dropping dead from lack of rest, right?

The teen dreamed of tomatoes and of beaches. Of winter mornings and of summer nights. He dreamed of all the times his grandfather took him and his fratellino to northern Italy for museums or food. He dreamed of the music teacher he had had when he was a little younger. They hadn't quite got along; Feliciano had a much higher affinity for music. And, he remembered the Spanish babysitter he had for about a month, too. That sitter was probably the only person in the world who could ever stand being around Romano long enough. Romano would never admit it, but…he kind of liked the guy, too. Never saw him after that, though.

A squeak stirred him awake. It was a mouse scurrying past his shoe.

"Stupid mouse," Romano grumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He got out from within his crate-shelter and stood up to stretch. It had stopped raining.

"Shit! Feliciano!"

Romano sprinted down the flooded alleyway, feeling as clearheaded as the sky was blue. He didn't know exactly where the plaza was, just that he was headed to the center of where all the rain washed buildings met.

After a few minutes of maneuvering the city-streets, Romano came upon Feliciano sitting on the fountain's edge. The idiot was sitting out in the open!

"Fratello!" cried the ever-high Italian, "I found pizza, ve~!"

"Feliciano!" he shouted, dashing towards Feli. "What are you doing out here? I said to wait!"

"Ve~! I did wait…but, then I got bored and found gelato and cannolis. I was going to get those, but I remembered what you said about dinner before dessert. So, I found pizza and pasta. I ate the pasta, but I bought some pizza for you! And then, I met a pretty girl—"

He wasn't listening anymore but, he did take the pizza and unceremoniously stuffed it down his throat. He ate more when he was worried and he had a lot to worry about.

They were too out in the open. Sure, they may have out ran those freaks just a couple hours earlier, but it was still only a couple hours. They had to get out of this village before someone spotted them or approached them or—

"Wait? You met a pretty girl?" Romano paused.

"Ve~! Yeah! She was really pretty. She said her name was Natalia or something. Ve~, fratello! Do you think we'll see her again? She's so pretty…"

Romano rolled his eyes and reached for his swooning brother's wrist. Feli didn't object; he was too busy telling about the few hours they were separated.

It was near nightfall when they had reached the seemingly small village's exit. They were headed out to the country, by the looks of it; the cobbled streets of the town faded back to dirt and grass, easing the soles of the boys' feet.

"Romano?" Feliciano yawned, breaking the silence he had created not too long before. "Where are we going now?"

"No idea, Feli," he muttered, absentmindedly. The breeze had picked up, still cold and clean from the previous showers. It felt pleasant on his burning skin.

"Can we go to the beach? Ve~, I miss the beach so much!" chattered Feliciano, skipping along next to his brother.

"Sure thing," Romano murmured, smiling to himself as he followed Feliciano down the dusty path. Wherever they were headed, at least they were together. No one could take him away from his fratellino.


End file.
